My Scrappy Little Scavenger - a Star Wars Story
by Ione-Sama
Summary: "Against all odds, you scavenged through the darkest perils of the galaxy—fought, struggled and bled—Darling, you clawed your way just to reach me." Rey/Kylo Ren, Ben Solo! My first attempt at this particular fandom; really, I just wanted this pesky muse to kriff off. RR, if you care!


**A/N: Okay. This thread of star wars drabble, just WILL NOT KRIFF OFF, and I feel I should apologize because I may screw a few things up as far as planet names, locations and such.**

 **This takes place sometime during TLJ, but will slightly deviate from original cannon: Luke attempts to train Rey, but when he discovers her connection with Kylo Ren, and witnesses her "pull" to the Dark Side, he rejects her a final time.**

 **Please bear with me; I LOVE star wars but have never read the novelization-just the awesome films!**

 **/**

( _Somewhere between Ach-To and the Alliance Base on D'Qar)_

" _I've seen this much power, only once before – It didn't scare me enough, then; it does now…"_

" _I thought I could train you, Rey…but I can't risk it; ...you have a spirit in you that is too reckless…you flirt too closely with the Dark Side…"_

Luke's words rang daunting in her ears, as Rey jetted through space, on the _Milenium Falcon_ – the sting of rejection was sharp as it pierced through her heart, eliciting hot tears that burned at the corners of her eyes, though she refused to let them fall.

She would _not_ cry.

She would _not_ be weak. Not again. She'd spent enough of her life, crying over the loss of a faceless family who had abandoned her to the merciless desert of _Jakku_ ; she would not yield control of her emotions, to yet another person who would simply trample them into dust beneath their feet.

A single tear broke free. She chased away it with a stubborn flick of her wrist, pursed her lips and set her jaw in a hard, defiant line.

 _No._

 _No one is worth Rey's tears. Not anymore._

She didn't have long to nurse her fragile, shaken resolve however; Chewie's alarming warbling cry from the cockpit, roused her instantly, and she exited the cramped sleeping quarters, with every hair on her body standing on end.

The trouble they'd run into, was a small freight of bounty hunters and unfortunately, the legendary _Milenium Falcon_ was instantly recognized.

It was evidently clear that she and Chewie wouldn't be making it out of this, without a confrontation and so, they battened down, and engaged their opponents.

Thankfully, the fight didn't last; Chewie was an exceptional pilot and after some risky – and very _impressive –_ maneuvers, they were able to dodge their enemy just seconds long enough, to make the jump to light speed.

It had come at a cost, though; the _Falcon_ had sustained damage to the left engine during the fight, and their hastened jump to hyperspace, had only aggravated the problem.

Now, with the left repulsion cylinder only working at roughly 40% efficiency and steadily falling, they'd had no choice but to seek out nearby resources for repairs.

They found themselves on a small, rugged planet, with minimal life sign readings, and upon closer inspection, it was discovered they'd stumbled upon a small, newly-developing mining colony.

The scanners picked up minimalist security and what appeared to be mainly civilians who inhabited this modest out-of-the-way, colonization of miners; Rey felt relief like she'd never known, as they set down for landing at a mere half-mile out. Though the scanners didn't pick up any obvious First Order activity or presence in the area, Rey was determined to be cautious; they were here to procure solely the parts needed for ships repairs, and that was it.

As tempting as it may be to bask in the anonymity provided, in the form of a small, colonist planet in the middle of _nowhere,_ Rey knew from experience, not to be lulled into false security; time was of the essence, and besides…she had to get back to the Resistance, and break the news to Leia – there would be _no help_ coming from Luke Skywalker; despite all of her efforts, Rey had failed, and the guilt – even now – weighed heavily upon the young scavenger's shoulders.

With a blaster at her hip and her trusted staff strapped to her back, Rey donned an inconspicuous earth-toned cloak, and set out towards the village. Chewie stayed back to get started on the ship – 'no where planet' or not, a Wookie would simply draw too much attention at this point, and Rey wasn't willing to risk it.

She'd made excellent time, and even with evening drawing closer, some of the shops were still opened. One in particular, seemed to specialize in the particular model of Hyperelectro Repulsion cylinder unit that Rey was looking for, and she was ecstatic that their little detour had been swift and well worth it.

But she should've known, _nothing_ in her life would ever come easy.

Just as she was headed to the front of the shop with nine hundred credits in hand, the shop doorbell rang, and in strode five Stormtroopers, clad in _black_ armor and heavily armed to the teeth. She ducked behind a heavy display of Hyperdrive coils, and listened as the small squad engaged the shop owner in conversation.

The hairs on her neck prickled; something was _different_ about these Stormtroopers. They _felt_ different – _mentally_ , she could sense they had been trained extensively beyond physical strengths and technique: she couldn't get an easy read on any of them, and aside from that, the intimidating black body armor, was a new addition, and put her on edge at just the sight of them. These were no ordinary foot soldiers, and Rey cursed herself for not having been more prepared; had they already discovered the _Milenium Falcon's_ location? Was her presence what brought them here to begin with?

It wasn't long before she caught bits from their conversation, about a small First Order outpost that was located only five miles to the East of them.

She couldn't fathom how the _Falcon's_ scanners had missed it, yet the probability that the First Order's advanced technology had given them an edge, was the next thought that snapped to the front of her consciousness with a jarring force; if their technology possessed the ability to cloak their base from a ship's scanners, who's to say they hadn't already sniffed out the _Falcon's_ whereabouts, completely unawares?

Blood raced icy in Rey's veins and she knew she had to act now.

There was no time to pay for the Repulsion cylinder; she had to slip out unnoticed and get back to Chewie, before it was too late.

Skirting her way to a back room, she had just come upon the back entrance, when she was oovewhelmed by a heavy Darkness permeating the Force, seconds before something sharp pricked her neck, and everything went black.

No. _Nothing in Rey's life ever came easy, at all._

/

When she awoke, it was to find her hands and feet bound with some kind of Force-repressing restraints, and her mouth gagged; she couldn't use her powers of Jedi mind persuasion, and neither could she scream for help; whatever they'd drugged her with, left her heavily-docile and disoriented. She shifted, feeling her body slide off someone's shoulder, and then she was dropped face first, upon a cold, hard floor. She cringed when her shoulders made a sharp _thwack_ as they connected with the floor, but with her hands and feet bound, she couldn't shift to her side, which would've been a more comfortable position, under the circumstances.

" _You sure this was a good idea?"_ she heard one of the stormtroopers muttering in low tones.

" _Do you have any idea how long the First Order has been looking for her? She's been a thorn in our side, for weeks now! Trust me, General Hux is gonna be thrilled we finally nabbed the desert trash."_ they broke out into boisterous laughter that sent unpleasant chills down Rey's spine.

Her heart sank. They were taking her to General Hux, and if her memory of the cruel, cold-hearted Ginger, served her correctly, she wouldn't be making it out alive, this time.

There was a deep rumbling beneath her ear, and the floor shook and strained as she felt herself being levitated—they must be onboard a shuttle craft of some sort and soon, she could feel the pull of gravity, fall away as the shuttle streaked across the sky, on its way to the dreaded First Order outpost.

/

Rey was cuffed to a chair in the corner of what looked to be small barracks, and the sickening dread was mounting. She hadn't been taken to the general as she'd expected, and as far as she could tell, her five captors appeared in no particular hurry, as they huddled in a corner across the room, pouring over patrol schedules and shift changes.

At length, their discussion seemed to be at an end, and one of the stormtroopers turned his eyes upon her.

The dead, lifeless expression in his brown orbs chilled Rey to the bone; she could sense no amount of emotion from him—only emptiness and a hollow darkness that seemed to wrap around her body, smothering her light and threatening to choke the very breath from her lungs.

"So. What's _her_ story? She doesn't look dangerous; why the hell are we taking so much trouble to capture her?"

The squad's captain looked up from where he was leaning over the table, perusing through papers, and his gaze narrowed as he observed his comrade inching nearer to the prisoner for a closer look.

"That's not really any of your business now, is it, SN-2234? The fact that she's of interest to the general as well as to the Supreme Leader, should be enough for you. Don't go asking questions that are none of your concern." He admonished sharply, before returning his attention to the papers before him.

Rey caught the advancing stormtrooper pause momentarily, as though he were considering his superior's warning.

He cupped his chin in thought, eyes narrowing in her direction, like he was intensely searching for something.

"Still…you gotta admit, it makes one wonder just what's so special about her; I mean, she's got the attention of the three most powerful men in the galaxy…come to think of it, I wonder what _he_ would say if he knew we captured her on General Hux's orders?"

The captain sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "SN-2234… _stop_ now, before you get yourself into trouble."

But the young soldier didn't appear to hear his captain, and reaching Rey, he crowded into her space, his lean, armored body towering over her as his eyes scrutinized her like she was a decadent delicacy deemed fit to devour.

"Huh. Really? _This_ is who the First Order is so afraid of?" he caught her chin in an unkind grip, pinching her cheeks as he forced her eyes to meet his. "…She's nothing but a scavenger girl from the back waters of _Jakku_ , isn't that right?" he shot a look over his shoulder to his fellow stormtroopers, earning a few answering snickers from them, before turning back to Rey with a sneer. "This brat can't possibly amount to any kind of threat. Then again, maybe we should find out just what _exactly_ you're hiding under those rags, that's got our General, Supreme Leader, _and_ his apprentice, shaking in their boots…"

Rey's eyes had been iced over in blatant defiance, but now they widened in fear and the rigidity drained out of her limbs when she felt her captor yank her head back by a fistful of her hair, and drag his nose down the side of her throat, inhaling.

A shudder ripped through her body and she felt physically _ill_ when his free hand dropped to her knee and slither up her thigh.

"…Well what do you know, the Resistance bitch, actually smells _good_ …" His breath was heavy against her neck, and reeked of something more foul than alcohol— _the Darkness_ she realized, heavily saturated these stormtroopers, in a way she'd never sensed before, with the others she'd encountered, and it dawned on her that Snoke must have something to do with this. If he had manufactured a new breed of mentally-reinforced Stormtroopers, trained in the basic techniques of the Dark Side, then the Resistance would have far more to deal with, once these _elite_ stormtroopers swarmed First Order ranks-

Something wet slithered across her collarbone, and she let out a muffled roar, struggling against her restraints which caused the chair she was cuffed to, to rock and scuff violently across the floor.

The other Stormtroopers were drawn to the commotion and rallied around their comrade; the captain grabbed his arm firmly, drawing the soldier's slightly-crazed eyes, to meet his. "Alright, that's enough, 34; you've had your fun, now leave the prisoner be."

"Come on, captain, I was just curious if she _tasted_ good too; no harm in that." He licked his lips, eyes clouded over in lust as he reached for the collar of Rey's tunic and tugged on it dauntingly. His mouth twisted in a sneer and his eyes burned with an animalistic _hunger_ that turned her stomach sour as the full weight of her perilous situation, hit her with the force of an Ion cannon blast.

These men…they were not emotionless, robotic soldiers—they were mindless _animals_ bent on consuming everything in their path with a ravenous hunger that would not be sated. For the first time, The First Order had let loose their dogs of war with _no_ collar to keep them in check, and no master to bid them heel at his command; untamed, they were raging, rabid beasts and shehad become their intended target.

Though the captain seemed more than in control of himself, calm and calculative, Rey wouldn't bet her life on the sanity of _one_ person alone, and she fought even harder against the bindings, feeling the ones on her left wrist marginally loosen.

SN-2234 had succeeded in tearing the collar just enough to expose the top of her chest bindings, when Rey gave a mighty growl and threw her weight forward, head-butting the stormtrooper in the nose. When her weight shifted again, her chair rocked back too sharply and she landed on her back, head cracking on the floor so hard, she was left dazed for several seconds.

Blood gushed from her captor's nose, pouring down his mouth and chin; he spit furiously as blood trickled into his mouth, and instantly, any guise of self-control, slipped and his eyes turned manic. He lunged at Rey with a vicious snarl, pinning her to the floor with a hand clamped around her throat, heedless of the frantic shouts from his squad and captain; _"That's enough, SN-2234!"_ The captain bellowed, striding forward and grabbing his subordinate by the shoulders with the intent to bodily remove him, _"Release the prisoner! That's an_ _ **order**_ _SN-2234; stop now, before-!"_ His sentence was cut off when a Dark, powerful presence enveloped the room, seconds before SN-2234 slammed into his captain as he was ripped from Rey and thrown across the room by an unseen force. The pressure in the room had tripled, and the troopers dropped to their knees, shaking and cowering in fear.

Kylo Ren's broad form filled the doorway; wrapped in a cloak blacker than night, with his mask firmly in place, the Sith apprentice was the epitome of Death incarnate, as he crossed the threshold into the cramped quarters.

His eyes swept the room, taking everything in, in seconds; when his gaze alighted upon Rey's trembling form, still strapped to the overturned chair, his fingers curled into fists, the leather of his gloves protesting against the action.

"On your feet." His voice rumbled like thunder through the voice modulator, and for the first time since her capture, Rey felt overwhelming relief.

… _Ben…_ her thoughts sighed through the bond, and Kylo's head turned imperceptibly in her direction.

He noted the Force-repressing restraints binding her feet and hands, but though they limited her Force ability, they couldn't hold a candle to the strength of the Force bond that had been forged between them; as the weeks passed from the first moment the Force connected them on Ach-To, it became increasingly evident that _nothing_ and _no one_ would be able to sever the deep connection between himself and Rey; he doubted even Death itself could tear them apart from each other and strangely, that immovable truth did not frighten him nearly as much as it probably should have.

He could sense her so clearly in this moment—her fear, her anger, her _relief_ —and he wondered why he hadn't sensed her presence before now. Had she been consciously _blocking_ him all this time?

Well, no matter. Her mind was wide open to him now, and it was abundantly clear that she was desperate for his help, whether she would openly admit it, or not.

 _Knowing her, definitely_ _ **not**_ _._ He mused inwardly, before his attention turned to the captain of the SN _black knight_ squad. "What is the meaning of this, Captain?"

The captain gulped audibly, but fought to keep his head high as he answered steadily, "2234 lost his cool, Sir—I was attempting to restrain him, when-"

"Your _—attempts,_ clearly failed, spectacularly. _Captain._ " Kylo's voice was tight with rage and despite how accustomed Rey was to his violent temper, a shiver rippled down her spine all the same.

"…Y-Yes sir." The captain answered, a tremor in his voice. Kylo brushed passed the captain and stalked to the crumbled form of SN-2234. "Did he harm the prisoner?" he asked tersely, eyes never leaving the sputtering trooper at his feet.

"He—he taunted her, Sir; some of her clothes might have been—torn in the process, but-"

The words died, as the rest of the _Black knight_ squad, witnessed Kylo Ren drag SN-2234 up the wall, without even lifting a finger.

He was Force-pinned to the wall, and wet rasping sounds were forced from his lips as he clawed frantically at the invisible fist strangling his neck.

"You touched a prisoner against the orders of a superior. But more than that, you have angered _me_ by doing so—and gained the Supreme Leader's _profound_ displeasure." In the next instant, 2234's arm twisted violently at the shoulder, then ripped from its socket—bone, tendon and flesh tearing apart and blood spurting across the floor.

SN-2234 let loose a blood curdling scream, just before Kylo Ren released his Force hold, sending the stormtrooper crumbling to the blood-soaked floor, unconscious.

Kylo turned away, facing the remaining squad members whose faces were ashen white and terror-stricken.

"Let this be a _final_ warning to all of you; the next one who dares to touch her, will die by my hand." With that, he waved a dismissive hand in the direction of the now-armless trooper, "Dispose of this trash." He ground out.

The others nodded wordlessly and scrambled to comply as they took up their mortally wounded comrade, and carried him from the room.

The captain had remained behind long enough to set Rey's chair upright, but he too was dismissed when Ren got a clear view of the state the prisoner was in; tunic torn down the center, and chest bindings nearly unraveled by this point, Kylo found he had no desire for any other man's eyes to linger upon her.

Stepping wordlessly to her side, he cut her feet and hands loose, then carefully loosened the gag in her mouth. When the cloth fell around her neck, Rey uttered a sound that was halfway between a ragged exhale, and a dry sob.

Something visceral clenched in his gut, but he gave no outward indication that her terror-stricken emotions, affected him. "Can you stand on your own?" He asked.

"I—I don't know," she croaked, placing her hands on the armrests and pushing shakily to her feet.

A violent cramp twisted her calf, and she hissed as her leg gave out in the next moment.

Strong hands caught her—one firmly gripping her bicep, while the other settled snugly around her waist—but instead of shaking him off like Kylo fully expected her to, Rey sent a shockwave quaking through him, when she fully and _willingly_ leaned her weight against his side and held onto him, clutching his cloak-covered chest with her fingers.

He was so stunned, his guise of detachment gave way for just a moment, and he bowed his head, nearly touching the visor of his helmet to her forehead. "Rey. Are you injured?"

Her frightened eyes rose to the place where she knew his own gaze resided, concealed behind the harsh, spotless black and chrome of his helmet, and for the first time in her life, the sight of that horrid, inhuman mask, brought unexplainable _warmth_ seeping through her insides. "N-No. No, I'm not hurt. They just—drugged me with something; my legs feel like melted duracrete, and everything looks hazy…" she closed her eyes, shaking her head as her brows drew together in a frown. "I don't…I don't know why I can't shake it off-"

Her body swayed marginally, and his hands tightened their hold upon her arm and waist. Though the voice modulator lent a hallow, mechanical quality to his deep timber, she could hear the _gentleness_ softening the edges of his tone as he cautioned, "Don't try to. Its likely some form of sedative that is meant to render you confused and keep you submissive. It will wear off—but you can't push yourself."

She nodded weakly, eyes fluttering open and connecting with the orbital viewer in his mask. Her lips parted, but no words formed; she was at a loss on how to thank him, without appearing…

 _Weak. If I show gratitude towards someone who is supposed to be my enemy, it exposes my vulnerability, and Ben_ _ **—**_ _no_ _ **—Kylo Ren,**_ _despises any such flaw…_

She was so disoriented and weakened from the drug and her ordeal, Rey did not yet realize her end of the bond had been unblocked, now allowing every one of her thoughts and feelings to flow across and through him, as though they were his own.

Kylo kept this to himself; preferring the slight advantage this gave him, and also, he would not openly admit how terribly lonesome he'd been these passed weeks, and how desperately he'd missed the echo of her presence and thoughts, flowing through the bond; he kept in mind to ask her about the mental block at a later time. As humiliating as it may be to admit, the thought that she had _consciously_ cut him off for all those weeks, more than wounded his pride…

It hurt him more deeply than he'd ever imagined possible, and he had to know _why._

His focus slid back to the present and his dark eyes lighted upon the state of her tunic.

"Here, take this." He removed his cowl and draped it around her shoulders, being intentional that the cloak concealed her exposed torso, completely, before he lead her out of the barracks and into the rain.

/

They'd crossed the Base grounds that separated the barracks from the main building, and all the while, Kylo kept Rey closely tucked against his side until they reached the blast doors, and were keyed in.

Once inside, Ren's hand dropped from her waist, but he kept a firm hold on her upper arm as he guided her through the halls.

"Hold onto me to keep yourself steady." He said lowly as they passed a group of _Black Knight_ Stormtroopers patrolling the halls. They acknowledged Kylo Ren with a crisp salute, which the Sith apprentice returned with a curt nod as they passed; Rey found it odd that there was so little personnel activity, but perhaps this was normal protocol for a small First Order outpost, in the middle of nowhere.

They reached the elevator, and once inside, Kylo Ren pushed the button for the top floor.

Both were silent in the ascent—Kylo stood slightly tucked behind Rey, with a hand still steadily secured to her arm, but he said nothing, and he didn't look at her, until they finally reached the top floor and the doors slid open.

Rey could sense his wall of detachment had risen between them once again, and she felt cold as a sudden rush of emptiness washed over her.

She timidly pressed at the edges of his mind for any clues, but found nothing; his thoughts were locked tightly against her intrusion, his emotions shuttered and light-years away from her.

 _Typical_. She should have known better than to expect an improvement in this complex dynamic between them.

The short hallway he ushered her through, was dark, and she realized then, that it must be long passed midnight; it felt like she'd been held captive for _days_ …she only hoped Chewie was alright and not tearing the _Falcon_ apart from his worry.

Two guards came into view, posted outside the single door at the end of the hall, and Rey's body went rigid as her senses kicked on high alert.

Was this another prison cell he intended to toss her into?

Would she be left alone for days on end, or did he intend to immediately torture her within an inch of her life, until her spirit finally shattered?

There were too many horrid possibilities lurking beyond the foreboding black door, and Rey's flight instincts kicked in as she suddenly reeled back from Kylo, nearly tearing herself out of his grasp.

Kylo Ren was momentarily thrown by her sudden and violent recoil, that he had to fully round on her and snag her other shoulder, just to regain his own footing.

He looked at her and her eyes instantly darkened with a poignant trepidation that she fought valiantly to conceal behind a mask of defiance.

He could sense the guards shifting their weapons in their unease, and he knew he had to bring her under control immediately, before his guards deemed her as a threat to their master.

Tightening his grip upon her, almost painfully, he hauled her to his side and muttered close to her ear, "They will _kill_ you if you don't keep quiet; stay calm, and come with me."

Every instinct in her body was _screaming_ at her to turn tail and flee for her life…but she forced down the urge to do so and simply clenched her teeth, as Kylo Ren nearly-carried her across the threshold.

The door slid shut behind them with a definitive _hiss_ , and Rey's previous relief at Kylo Ren's arrival, began to wane as the old fear and apprehension she'd come to associate with him, took its place. They were alone, and she, utterly oblivious to his intentions.

For himself, Kylo had sensed her increasing anxiety at the unknown prospect of his intentions towards her, and he felt a violent, wrenching fury burn in the pit of his belly. _Does she honestly think I would save her from the clutches of Hux's men, just to torture her with my own hands?!_

"You fear me." The statement dropped heavily in the space between them. She had come to realize that this room was not a cell, but someone's quarters, and her eyes slid back to him after scanning her surroundings.

"No." She denied, yet the tickle of apprehension hovered at the edges of her consciousness.

She _did_ fear him; after learning the truth of his past, her heart and mind had been in agony, warring with each other, until she'd forcibly blocked off her side of the bond, in a desperate attempt to gain inner peace.

It hadn't worked as well as she'd hoped.

Consequently, weeks without hearing even an echo of his thoughts, had her completely out of her depth and she was treading dangerous waters, unknowing what he would do next.

"You fear me, because you fear what I might do to you." He cornered her, just as the very same thought crossed her mind, and her eyes rounded as it dawned on her; the bond was _open_ on her end.

Amidst all of the chaos of her capture, near _-rape,_ and his sudden appearance… Rey's defenses had fallen completely, and she'd unwittingly left her mind and heart, completely accessible to him. He'd felt _every_ emotion she'd felt, and he'd read every thought as clearly as if it were his own.

The realization of her costly mistake, hit her like an ion blast, and she held the cloak that shrouded her shoulders, in a white-knuckled grip as tears sprang to her eyes for the first time in days.

 _You know I can hear your thoughts_ now _, Rey_.

His words echoed in her head as though he'd spoken aloud, and she released a shuddering breath—she hadn't realized till that moment, how much she had _missed-_

She cut off that thought before it could finish, hazel eyes snapping apprehensively to his form where he still stood across the room from her, unmoving and unrelenting.

"Say it, Rey." He pressed, in that firm yet soft murmur he always used when catching her in a lie.

 _Of course._ He'd already known where that thought was headed; her attempts to conceal it from him, were pointless, but her stubborn defiance in the face of his unrelenting arrogance, burned hotly, and she refused to be the one to give in.

She bit back the tears, refusing to bend, and set herself firmly against him, jaw firm and eyes hard.

"It was nothing; I won't let you bait me over a minor lapse in mental judgement-"

"Why did you shut me out? How long have you been blocking your side of the bond?" He demanded.

She said nothing as her eyes briefly took in the sharp contours of his mask—no. Forget 'unexplainablewarmth'; she really _hated_ that mask, after all.

"…I didn't _consciously_ shut you out…" she half-lied: evading the truth altogether, was a losing battle with him, so her next best bet was to offer him just _enough_ of the truth to keep him satisfied and hopefully prevent him from digging for answers any further.

 _You know I can take whatever I want._

His words from so long ago, echoed like a self-proclaimed dirge, that was only proven when Kylo Ren removed his mask and dropped it to the floor at his feet.

He stood bare before her now, and his dark handsomeness still managed to catch her off guard and leave her breathless.

 _Damn him._

His dark hair was just as wild as before, sweeping the tops of his shoulders with locks of thick curl falling carelessly in his eyes—those dark, dangerous orbs, untamed and deadly focused as they fixed upon her, _"How. Long. Rey."_ He voiced the same question, though it seemed to carry a heavier weight when uttered in the unmodulated intonations synonymous with his deep, dark voice.

Despite her mightiest efforts, Rey's body gave an answering _shudder_ upon hearing that voice, and she knew _he had seen it_ , when the expression in his eyes turned to something akin to painful longing.

"I—since the last time—on Ach-To." She admitted at length, and her eyes turned glassy when they caught the brief look of hurt that flashed in his gaze.

"You don't believe me, then—when I told you the truth, about Luke-"

But the young almost-jedi shook her head fervently, and even took a step towards him. "No, Ben, it's not that! I believe you, I promise! I—I confronted him. And he admitted it to me, then. He told me what happened. He feared you, he feared the choice you hadn't even _made_ yet, and in a moment of weakness-"

A portion of Kylo's restraint, broke away, and he advanced on her angrily, face darkening as his voice heightened to aggressive tones, "Yes, he _feared_ me; he feared me as _you_ fear me now; even when I rescued you, _punished_ the one who caused you pain, you still hold to your belief that I am the monster. You refuse-"

"That's not true!" She murmured strongly, seconds before the tears broke free.

There was a deafening silence that hung in the room and despite his anger and his hurt, Kylo Ren could not deny her claim, in the face of the pained remorse and conflict that poured from her eyes.

She was at war within herself.

She had been, for a long time now, and as his mind reached out to hers from across the bond, he discovered her mind was an open wound of endless turmoil and suffering.

His ire towards her, dissipated in an instant, and he took another step towards her.

"Rey…why would you block me out? Why do something that has left you in such obvious pain?" He pressed softly, and Rey's anger was again stirred to life, "Because I was _afraid,_ alright?!" she cried out. It was her turn to let the hold on her warring emotions, slip, and like always, she gave as good as she got.

More tears streamed down her cheeks but she ignored them, as a bit of that fiery defiance and grit, Ren had come to love, returned to her eyes.

"I was afraid, because you overturned _everything_ I thought I knew to be true, and right, and wrong; you were there for me, when I didn't even _want_ you to be, and I—I saw so much of myself in you, that I couldn't see you as _'the monster'_ anymore! I l-lost the _one kriffing_ thing that kept me distant and _safe_ from you, and I was left with nothing but the knowledge that I no longer hated, but _cared for you_ —" her words choked off on a sob that wracked her delicate frame, and she could speak no further as she fought to smother the emotion with the palm of her hand.

Kylo Ren stood unmoving before her—shock rocked him to his core, and he was stunned beyond belief—he could do nothing but stare openly at the weeping scavenger, breathless with amazement.

At length, her softly spoken words echoed closer and closer, until they reached his ears in a broken murmur, "…I shut you out…because I had come to care for you, yet in my heart, I knew I couldn't afford to. I couldn't afford to lose even _more_ of myself to you, than I have already, or I'd be betraying _everything_ I've ever believed in-"

"You—you _care_ for me; and yet you are still suffering, despite the fact that you believed keeping me _away_ , would absolve you of what, guilt?" He scoffed, incredulous.

Again, she did not answer him and he looked upon her, his dark eyes betraying his utter dubiety. "You are truly—truly foolish, Rey, you should have _come to me_ right then and there; being parted from me, through the bond, has done nothing but slowly _kill_ you from the inside: why didn't you _call out to me? I would have come to you in a moment!"_ He exclaimed heartedly. His anger was steadily rekindled, but it was channeled into the form of frustration; his heart simultaneously swelled, and constricted with the revelation that she had been longing for him, yet repeatedly refused to surrender to her heart's desire.

"No, Ben! You mustn't say it; you are determined in your vow to serve the Dark Side, I could never walk that path! You know what I am, and despite any desires you have for me to turn, I…" Her eyes locked with his earnest gaze and again, she was overcome by the look of passionate yearning reflected in those dark, dark orbs that drew her in, even now.

"…I will never turn." She whispered brokenly.

"This isn't about the Light or theDark, Rey;" The Dark apprentice protested, taking another step and reaching forth a beckoning hand. "This is about following the path of your _heart._

You can't—" he broke off, pressed his lips together and clenched his fist, before he went on, stronger and more assured than before. "You _cannot_ deny what the Force has chosen, and you know—you _know_ as well as I do, that the _Force_ has bonded us, Rey. Try to run from it, block it, and shut it out, all you want, and you will." his expression changed then, and Rey was left speechless when the lines around his mouth tilted into the curve of an all-knowing, exasperated _smile_. " _You_ will always fight this, Rey; I know you, because you are so. Kriffing _defiant,_ and stubborn—Force, your willfulness, tires me and breaks my temper, again and again," He admitted as he carded a hand through his hair in a disgruntled motion.

He had steadily narrowed the distance between them, and he was so near to her now, she let loose a startled gasp when his breath fanned across her face as his tall powerful form towered over her. "…You will _always_ fight me, Rey, with everything you have, but I don't care, because I _need_ you—so badly. Loving you, is the worst possible torture imaginable—but I can't live without it any longer, so _please_." He implored; he'd divested his gloves and with one bared hand, he dared to bridge the gap to touch his fingertips to her cheek.

Fresh tears streamed from her eyes, but the emotions churning within her, were vastly different: where she felt fear and despair, she also felt equal parts disbelief, hope, and an incomprehensible _joy_.

 _He…just… what?!_

A glimmer of that same smile, sparkled in his eyes, but this time, it was tinged with that same desirous expression she had witnessed from before.

"…Ben, you... you just….I—how can you just-?!"

She couldn't string together a single word of sense, and any further attempts were promptly foiled, when the mighty and all-powerful Kylo Ren, framed her face in his hands and bowed his head to kiss her.

She froze—warm, full lips pressed insistently against hers, and she was struck with the realization that _no man_ had ever kissed her, before this.

The thought must have slipped unintentionally through the bond, because in the next second, Kylo was groaning loudly against her lips, and his arms wound tightly around her waist; his kiss turned from a gentle caress, into a bruising, untamed force.

Long fingers curved around the back of her neck and tilted her head at a sharper angle, as Kylo fitted his lips more solidly to hers and molded the hard lines of his body, into the softer, giving edges of her curves.

She gasped tremulous, and gave way in his arms—his cloak barely held onto her shoulders as the hem now dragged upon the floor.

The thought of what lay concealed _beneath_ the layers of his cloak, hit him like a Force push, square in the chest. His breath hitched at the back of his throat, and he tore his lips from her mouth, "Drop the cloak, Rey." He commanded huskily.

She was still reeling from his kiss, and her eyes were glossed over and hazy as she gazed up at him with swollen, parted lips.

"I want to see where _he_ touched you, Rey; I want to know _exactly_ what that vermin did to taint you, so I can burn it out of your mind completely."

His demand met with no dispute from her, and she was suddenly unafraid to bare herself before him.

The cloak dropped to the floor without a thought, and her eyes stayed firmly locked with his, as she wordlessly tossed aside her tunic as well; the thing was nearly shredded anyways, so it's not as if she could save herself from being _shockingly_ exposed.

But she felt no shame as Kylo raked his fiery gaze down the length of her form; her chest bindings were a hapless, twisted mess, and she knew he was getting quite the view of her swelling mounds…his eyes branded her skin, seconds before his hands were _on her_ , cupping and kneading her flesh vigorously, as he dragged his hot mouth across the expanse of her throat.

A bit of self-consciousness struck her just then, but she pushed it away, and lifted trembling fingers to pull her hair free of the three knots that were so synonymous with her image, till now. Her chestnut tresses fell in waves of silk, tumbling around her shoulders and down her back, and she watched in secret delight, as Kylo halted his amorous ministrations, his eyes riveted to the action.

"...áYour hair is longer than I'd pictured." He breathed almost reverently.

She cast her eyes to the floor, biting her lip as she shyly admitted, "Honestly, I hadn't noticed it was getting longer, until—your mother mentioned it, and-" she felt his fingers twitch marginally, at the mention of Leia, but that was all, and she continued after a moment.

"Apparently, the women of Aldreán, would bind their hair-they'd never cut it—until they met a man whom they had chosen to give their heart. It was then, she said, that a woman would unbind her hair and let it out to its full length… _only_ for the eyes of the one whom she desired… I guess the story stayed with me, without me realizing it," She went on hastily, feeling the heat spread across her cheeks from his eyes burning into her. "A-And before I k-knew it, I suppose I was unconsciously-"

Her ramble was cut off by another fierce press of his lips, and this time, he withheld not an ounce of his passion, and delved his tongue into her mouth as his fingers scraped, clawed and kneaded every inch of tender flesh he could reach. His touch was brazen, frantic and _forceful_ , and she basked in his arduous affection, to the fullest.

The intrusion of his tongue into her mouth, was strange, but exhilarating, and Rey proved to be a quick study in the arts of Foreplay as well; she lashed and battled his tongue with her own, drawing it into a heated dance that ended with Rey pressing passed the seam of Kylo's lips, leaving her beloved, panting and quaking with need.

"Rey….Rey, I n-need you. Please. _Please, please_ , _Rey, I want you so badly…_ " he was gasping desperately as he tore away the rest of her clothes in frantic haste.

"Ben... my sweet, darling Ben…" She whispered fervently against his lips, and he didn't even care that she spoke his birth name so ardently, as she hastily stripped the layers of black fabric, away; she could call him whatever she pleased, and it would make no difference to him. So long as she _never_ _stopped_ _touching_ him, he wouldn't care if the whole of Snoke's armies, brought the fires of Hell, down upon his head.

The cool night air, sent shockwaves through the newly-bared skin of his chest and arms, and his muscles twitched for a split second, before _soft,_ heated flesh, pressed fully against him.

Black eyes snapped open, colliding with hooded hazel, framed in thick lashes, as Rey wrapped her arms around his neck, and lofted herself off the floor, so she could gaze squarely into his eyes.

"…have I rendered the almighty Kylo Ren, utterly speechless?" she teased, cocking a brow at him as her lips curled into a seductive smile.

Something deeply-rooted within him, snapped at the name 'Kylo Ren' falling from her lips; ...he couldn't explain it, but while 'Ben Solo' was always uttered like a soft, heart-breaking caress, 'Kylo Ren' was the name Rey had hissed with venomous hatred, when they had first met; consequently, it carried nothing but a bitter memory, no matter how tenderly uttered, and he physically recoiled.

"I am only 'Ben Solo' to you; and as to your earlier question—no, I am not speechless; only mystified that my scrappy little Jakku scavenger, was a guised seductress all along…" His voice was teasing and warm, adding an endearment to the term 'scrappy little scavenger' as he nosed her chin upwards and pressed open-mouthed kisses to the full length of her throat.

Her heart ached keenly as she tangled her fingers in his hair so she could draw his mouth back up to hers.

She was ravenous with hunger for him, and throbbing with an aching _need_.

"…Ben. I'm sorry, but I—I need…I can't explain it fully, b-but I need you…. _inside me,_ p-please Ben, please, please!" Rey was near tears and though she couldn't fully explain the cause, she knew _Ben_ had what her heart and body so desperately cried out for; he carried her to the bed, stripped out of his trousers in seconds, and was gathering her into his lap with her legs snugly straddling his hips.

"Don't worry, my little scavenger…there is no need for you to beg me,"

He wrapped her in his arms and held her body close, as he kissed her eyes to rid them of the tears wrought from her unbearable desire to be filled and complete.

He would answer her desires, a thousand times over, and it was then that Ben vowed to put Rey's fulfillment and happiness, above all else.

 _Nothing_ else mattered to him, he realized; not the Resistance

Not the First Order

Not even Snoke.

 _Rey_ was his purpose,

His existence,

The _Light_ to his Darkness

She was his entire universe, and no force in heaven or Hell, would ever succeed in stealing her away from him—he would die ten thousand of the cruelest deaths, before he ever let Rey go again.

This was it. This moment. Just them.

Bonded in the Force heart, mind, body and soul.

"You have no reason to beg me, Rey; I'm yours— _all of me_ belongs to you, Sweetheart…" he kissed her then, fingers tangling in her tresses as he held her to him and tasted the salt of her freshly-fallen tears.

Her swell of emotions reached him through the bond, and he knew then, that she had understood the depth of meaning behind his vow.

"All that I am, is _yours_ Rey. _Take_ it. Take _me,"_ He pleaded ardently, as he thrust upwards and sank into her waiting heat.

His tiny little scavenger, let out a sweet cry of pain and pleasure, and stilled, before claiming his mouth in a branding kiss as she rocked her hips strongly, drawing him deeper and deeper within her body, till he was buried to the hilt.

Her cries of ecstasy, were music to his ears, and he rocked aggressively within her as she chanted breathlessly, _"Yes, oh, oh yes, Ben, my sweet Ben—ahhn! I love you, Ben. Force, I love you so much!"_ she nearly wept, and Ben was brought to tears as he clung to his precious treasure, plucked from the unforgiving deserts of a nowhere planet called _Jakuu_ — _his_ Rey, was certainly the greatest treasure of them all. "My love—is yours, Rey." He promised ardently, panting against the skin of her shoulder, as drove into her, claiming her again and again. "Against all odds, you scavenged through the darkest perils of the galaxy—fought, struggled and bled—Darling, you _clawed_ your way just to reach me. Here I am, Rey. You saved me. Every part of me, is wholly _yours."_

And as he kissed her, Ben Solo finally _let go._

/

 _Fin._

/

Yep. Totally BS-ED my way through that one, especially in the parts where the whole fight with the bounty hunters, happened, and what repairs they needed—gah! Come on, I ain't got a clue when it comes to star ship mechanics, hyperspace and the like; some of you guys are way more amazing at that, than I could ever hope to be! Well, anywho, I hope some of you liked this; for what it's worth, I was mainly just getting this muse out of my head, so I can return to the projects that really matter to me!


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